Marathons/Ultras

8th Continent Marathon

Published January 21, 2020

Lap after lap after lap.

Certainly saw plenty o’ scenic Auckland Domain my 3 days in New Zealand. LOL>

What I’ll remember most Day 1 – smile of an elderly volunteer who enthusiastically greeted every time we started UP War Memorial. 6 times she’d laugh & cheer & shout in dialect. Bestest, most upbeat individual of my journey. Looked forward to seeing her as much as the Grandstand banner 😊

Hotel lobby 5:30am. Triple 8ers all piled into a rented van. Registration & bib pickup. Day One. Excited, nervous. Ready to run. Head cold almost gone. Hadn’t long run since the Mobile Marathon.

7am Start. Gonna heat up fast – Zealandia summer. Overcast today, not the shine. super HUMID. Kinda wish we’d been allowed the early Start with majority of today’s Auckland YMCA marathoners.

Moisture hung HEAVY. Clouds & head wind ‘round War Memorial created run relief, easiest of all my NZ days but only 2 laps (9 miles) in, just wasn’t feelin’ it… on Day 1. How am I gonna do 8 days of this? mini-PANIC attack. Panting, lungs sucking water. Air forced, out quickly. Mind racing.

Walked/talked the hill UP past Domain Gates. Slowed my pace, searched for tunes. Gotta regain control. You’ve done this a hundred times… literally. One step in front the other.

Cheering us up the Museum incline, there she was again – I’ve got this. No Grandstand stop, pushed thru lap 4. High-fives & waves to fellow runners & street marshals. Short break in lap 5 to look-about the Bay – at the beauty of this Pacific Island city – far far away from Colorado HOME.

Victory Lap, heat STRUGGLED. More walk, than jog. Water/electrolytes every aid stop. Grandstand in the distance – never looked so good. Domain done. HUGE THANKS to Auckland’s YMCA Marathon Club, their high 5’s much appreciated this first day.

Last of ‘the Six’. Hotel ride, shower, unpack/repack. Gotta go, gotta go. Plane to catch.

Goodbye beautiful tropic New Zealand – next Continent: Australia! 🦘🇦🇺

2020 8th Continent Marathon

Tuesday, January 21, 2020 06:31 (GMT+13) – Final results

Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Place Bib Racer name Finish time

19 2342 Keenan Haga 5:01:14.6 +1:41:56.6

: Day One START

: War Memorial Museum

: 6 laps ’round

: Day 1: Zealandia

: Triple 8 TRAVEL ✈️

8th Continent Marathon

Posted in Marathons/Ultras, New Zealand, Triple 8 Quest | Leave a comment

Mobile Marathon

Published January 12, 2020

Late nite touchdown. 20-minute ride Downtown. Been a long day.

Charleston to Charlotte, Charlotte to Atlanta, Atlanta to Mobile. Fever gone, marathon medal still hangin’ round my neck. Almost 1am now… still gotta shower. Argh.

Hotel lobby still full of revelers, traffic buzzin’ outside as my head hit the pillow. Think Mobile’s probably a naughty town during summer season… tamer kid sister of N’ Orleans.

Phone alarm set, 5am comes early. Slow crawl outta bed. Change of clothes, fresh shoes, it’s Day 2 – in Alabama. Late check-out granted (thanks Hilton). Guaranteed a quick shower post-run 😊

Pre-dawn to Government Plaza. Circumference-walked the building’s perimeter. Open-door located, bib pick-up achieved. Hotel digs mere steps from today’s Finish. Location, location, location.

Day lighting life up, drunks slumber behind big block buildings – and I’m a-running, 26.2 miles in Mobile ALABAMA. Whoop! whoop! Hydration vest stuffed full of tissues. Cooler weather, head cold raging, but spirits HIGH. NO was not received; I found a way. Lined-up with a thousand others.

Day 2 of my first 2020 double. The body’s an amazing instrument. Literally ONE day after my fever-riddled slog in Charleston – new life. And the mind? …can will a man to walk fire. Ok, ok. no fire-walking today. Just a lotta head drain & tissue disposal. LOL>

Chatted it up with the 5-hour pace guy. Nope, not really. Just a random guy holding his stick. I’d warm on the ‘real’ dude, first 2 miles. Mississippi’s his home. Met his wife marathoning; proud new parents of twins. The people you meet. Stories we share. No sport more exposed, more HUMAN. LOVE our sport ❤️

LOVE LOVED my pace group. 5-hour pack starts small, gathers those falling off goal times. Probably 5-6 of us constant from mile 8 on. That’s a lotta life stories… who needs tunes? Chipper single-digit miles, dark-clouded mile 20. Biggest party, most I’ve ever drank, craziest place I’ve woke up unexpected. Later miles – other times I’ve cheated death, real food or banana at finish? BEER.

Dropped off at 21. Short walk, regrouped. Back at it soon after. Good day, great group of runners… 20 minutes faster than Day 1.

Pace brother awaitin’ at the FINISH LINE, cheering us in. Classy dude. 2 days, 2 states, 2 medals. FOUR marathons this year already. Top of the roller coaster. Ready as I’m ever gonna be. Tick, tick, tick. 5 days my life adventure begins. Triple 8!

Next stop: New Zealand 🇳🇿

19TH ANNUAL Servis1st Bank MOBILE MARATHON

Presented by Infirmary Health

JANUARY 12, 2020

****** MARATHON OVERALL RESULTS ******

K R HAGA M LOUISVILLE CO 5:10:30

: Government Plaza

: late bib pick-up

: one mile to GO

: FINISH LINE 🏁

: first 2020 double

: Day 2 SMILE

: Alabama #3

: Home Sweet Home ❤️

Mobile Marathon

Posted in Marathons/Ultras, South | Leave a comment

Charleston Marathon🌴

Published January 11, 2020

Tick, tick, tick. Less than a week out, life-everything now consumed by Triple 8. Work, home life, marathon training. 3 in 8 days. This weekend, year’s first double. Not sure if anything can truly emulate what I’ll experience travelling ALL the world’s continents – but putting it out there, 100% all in. Nashville connection, touchdown South Carolina.

Friday travel day. Lyft ride to Downtown bib pick-up, app-ride return to hotel check-in. Sleeps location chose near tomorrow’s North Charleston finish.

Seaside humidity or seasonal flu but felt a change a-coming. Which flight, which hacking traveler? Lotta recent workplace suspects. ‘Tis the season, hard to avoid LIFE.

Early to bed, early to rise. Tomorrow’s another day, marathon day. First of TWO 😉

Saturday morn. Light drizzle, HIGH humidity. Body achy. Cough, head cold. One step in front of the other. HUMAN day. No assurance I’ll go 8 Continents cough-free (trapped inside a host of Airbus coffins). 5-hour finish goal today/tomorrow – same as Triple 8.

Early-going SWEAT fest. Drowning. Slow down, walk. Take it in. Antebellum homes, Carolina palms. Shot of ocean. Not my day physically but… today, mentally blessed.

More walk than slog. Check, done. BIG BEAUTIFUL medal 🏅 3rd FINISH in South Carolina.

Lyft pick-up. Hotel transfer, airport sink bath. Hour flight. Touchdown, Charlotte. Lotta auto texts. Storms moving thru the South. Flight to Mobile cancelled? Re-booked on an 11am flight. Sunday? That’s not gonna work. Think. Think.

Long line of folks telling me what I can’t do. American Airlines, not helpful. Think. Think.

New ticket, new direction. Delta to Atlanta. Connection after storm-line passes thru the City. Midnite arrival.

I’m here. I’m sticky. AND running marathon #2 in SIX hours. Mobile, Alabama.

NO is a response, NOT a solution ✅